The main benefits of this solution relies in the possibility to build very larges structures and equipment with a high welding speed and high accuracy. Fully reproductible and easy to automate (thanks to a robotic arm which can increase the freedom of movement), this technology has an unlimited process design and outstanding metal and engineering flexibility. The welding process is only in one step, it allows narrow, deep and parallel welding seams and it could use various metals.
Developed for the welding of 5 of 9 sectors of the ITER vacuum vessel with high accuracy, the technology offers beam power of 40 kW, an acceleration voltage of 80kV and a velocity movement up to 5 mm/s. The large volume of the chamber of the solution 630m3) and positioning tools facilitate the handling of very large equipment.
This electron beam welding technology has been specially designed for the manufacturing of large structures used a really harsh environments such as nuclear fusion and is now open for further use. It has already been used in the shipment industry for the building of a full-scale demonstrator and could now find promising applications in nuclear (nuclear waste containers welding), maritime, railway or wind power.)
For more information, please visit the FusionForEnergy of Pro-Beam website.
Keywords:
Electron beam welding – Large structure solutions